Jeff Somers is the author of Lifers, the Avery Cates series from Orbit Books, Chum from Tyrus Books, and We Are Not Good People from Pocket/Gallery. He has published over thirty short stories as well.At The Barnes & Noble Book Blog he tagged five must-reads aimed at kids that people of all ages will enjoy, including:
The Outsiders, by S.E. HintonRead about the other books on the list.
The ultimate tale of dangerously unsupervised children who curse, smoke, drink, and stab each other, this book was actually written when Hinton was a teenager herself, which explains the melodramatic nature of much of herdebut. The tale of Ponyboy and rival gangs in Tulsa in the 1960s, it remains an explosive (and often banned) book to this day.
Why Adults Will Enjoy It: Many books capture the sense of being a teenager, but few can convey that sense back to adults the way The Outsiders can. Once you get past some of the outdated slang and period detail, you’re once again fifteen and simultaneously angry, sad, exultant, and confused. While the events of the story go far beyond what most people experience as kids, the emotional sense of the book is 100% accurate.
The Outsiders is among Phil Earle's top ten zeros-to-heros in stories for children and young adults and on one list of nine of the best literary groups of friends.
My Book, The Movie: Chum.
The Page 69 Test: Chum.
Writers Read: Jeff Somers.
--Marshal Zeringue
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